287 SSX for Coastal Boating

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I am back on this forum after a several year hiatus after I sold my 2009 215 SSi W/T. I owned that boat for about 5 years but sold it when I sold my lake place in NH and had no real good place to use the boat anymore.

Fast forward a couple of years and now my wife and I are looking for a boat to use at our new place in Portsmouth, RI on the Sakonnet river, which is connected to Narragansett Bay. We went to the Providence Boat Show last weekend and took a close look at the new (2018) 287 SSX. It seems like a boat that addresses our wants and needs very well. And since I enjoyed my first Chaparral, I have no qualms about buying one again. But, since this will be my first experience in salt water and coastal boating, I wanted to reach out to this forum to get any opinions on:

1. I/O's in salt water. It seems most people would steer me to outboards in salt water, which I understand, but, I can't really find an OB set-up that I like as much as the 287 SSX. My boat will be in the water at a dock all season (May-Oct). I know there will be increased maintenance costs on the I/O due to use in salt, but, other than that it's not "crazy" to use an I/O in salt, is it?

2. The bay can apparently get choppy. There are a lot of center console fishing boats and big express cruisers out there normally. But those boats aren't a match for me. So, do you think I will be happy with the performance/ride of the SSX hull in real conditions? I'm not looking to go out when the weather is crappy, but, I also want to be able to be comfortable in the normal conditions in the bay. In my experience with the 215 SSI I didn't think it handled small lake waves and chop all that well. It was OK, but, not super smooth. The water around my new digs will surely be a lot rougher than what I saw on the small lake.

3. I should paint the hull and outdrive, right?

4. Would you take a bow rider like the 287 SSX out into the ocean? I don't want to go too far out and would only go when conditions are forecasted to be good. But, conditions can change unexpectedly...

5. Any current 287 SSX owners out there with suggestions, regrets, or encouragement???

Thanks! I look forward to (hopefully) being part of the Chap community once again.

Brian

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if you are only boating in normal good days, than any boat that fits your interior and performance criteria will be fine from row boat to cruiser. if you are asking if it is safe if you get caught in a storm - i would respond that any of the larger Chap boats handle chop very well, are free bailing, and can and will get you safely back to harbor if you are responsible. all the SSX model lines ride very well with the deep V hull and higher freeboard

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Bays can build real waves in a bad direction in a hurry. Especially if your entrance & exit to the bay has rock sides & rock barriers running away from a narrow confined inlet. The boulders form a rock barrier to the ocean...............You must drive down to the inlet on days with RUNNING tides & strong winds blowing in & out with peak running tides. The inlets become monsters to be avoided............

Add into what you see. A commercial trawler not about to give way to a pleasure boat & risk scraping a submerged rock. MUCH bigger boats also not giving way to you. Add in a ASSSSHHH hole big offshore race hull speeding thru.

Inlets to me are only good weather places going out & a MANDATORY return in building wind & seas.

Go to your inlets & check with any USCG stations nearby for how bad the water & chop can get when you try to come in with everyone else in a sudden SQUALL.. I have seen waves & bow spray go 10' to 20' up into the air in the Manasquan River. I watched from HIGH inlet wall & ran back as a cruiser from each direction thru waves on top of the jetty surfaces. Boats did gash on the rock sides. Some top heavy cruisers rolled over onto a side & were munched up going in or out. No panic. Just a too bad look on faces. ALL people always wore full jackets & on deck to get clear if the boat laid over.

Accept the real fact of having to just run your boat up onto the beach if possible. At a very crowded & busy inlet while waiting in a crowd in the ocean side. I am remembering back to the 60's in N J.

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If you plan to stay on the river, bays, within earshot of land, just about any boat will do. If your looking for something for long voyages and something that is good when it gets bad then you might start looking elsewhere. I assume you've been to the ocean, and theres just as many small boats as big boats out there.

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I do a lot of my boating between Boston and Newport, along with the Vineyard.

I would not even think of a open bow boat for these waters!! You mentioned Narragansett Bay, the opening of the canal about a 1/2 mile before Onset can become a washing machine. With 2 to 3 foot waves, the currents hitting from 2 or 3 directions. Because of the tide changes, the currents there are very forceful. Woods Hole is unreal.

Remember, in that bay your in open waters. You will need a VHF, GPS and radar as standard equipment. Many times coming from the Vineyard or Red Brook Harbor I have hit fog in that bay.

To use your words "There are a lot of center console fishing boats and big express cruisers out there normally." Why is that?

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If I were to buy a boat for salt, I would definitely go with a close cooling system. I think for Mercruiser its Seacore. But not sure. Down in Florida you see a lot of those boat lifts. maybe that is an option?

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Based on Iggy first hand experiences.............. Get a BIG optional engine !!............ I have been in underpowered boats running thru ROUGH water inlets. I Jacketed up & stood on deck holding the cabin wall. I closed my eyes at least 1 time to see a VERY REAL possibility of a forceful head on collision. In The very rough waters of the inlet. I never went out that one again. Fear is very good in inlet running. Know your comfort limit.

DO NOT get bullied into running in one. On a iffy weather day. Most mornings are calmest. Deceiving.

Afternoons ? "Please Mr. Custer. I do not want to return. "

You are only in salt 1/2 a year. Your drive should be O K. Definitely get a Closed Cooling system. Winterizing is a total joy.

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I take my 257ssx out in some NASTY stuff in Destin Bay and Gulf every year and it handles it VERY well. The 287ssx is 3.5 feet longer and should handle it even better. I would have no problem whatsoever taking that boat out into the ocean especially for short distances, 30-50 miles out, on a nice day.

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I take my 257ssx out in some NASTY stuff in Destin Bay and Gulf every year and it handles it VERY well. The 287ssx is 3.5 feet longer and should handle it even better. I would have no problem whatsoever taking that boat out into the ocean especially for short distances, 30-50 miles out, on a nice day.

Forgive me. Your in Florida on the west side that offers you protection from the Atlantic. With tides of what, 2 to 3 feet? Buzzards Bay has very strong currents due to the 12 to 13 foot tide changes. Going though the Canal into Buzzards bay, the currents can reach up to 6 knots. It not uncommon to see 1 to 1 1/2 foot waves on a good day. If the weather turns, god help you. Just to give you an idea, and please read the last line too. Which means there even higher.

ANZ234-100915- Buzzards Bay- 341 PM EST Fri Feb 9 2018

TONIGHT S winds 5 to 10 kt. Gusts up to 20 kt this evening. Seas around 2 ft. A slight chance of showers after midnight.

SAT S winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of showers.

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1) i/o in salt water - i am with my first I/O in salt water, same window as your use . two years so far no problems. with that being said have friends that had I/O's in salt water for many yeras

2) i have a 337 SSX and it handles very well in chop and ocean 3-5 ft waves in the ocean. i would think the 28 would be very similar.

3) my dealer recommended painting the lower unit and hull, which i did. so far it has been pretty clean when we pull it in the fall. unless you have a lift to keep it out of the water, i would paint both

4) I am about 10 minutes from our local inlet, so i am going out pretty often. i always recommend following the weather on any boating trip, know your time to get back in and your own comfort level. Obviously in the ocean and inlet you will encounter larger waves conditions then in a back bay, you need to keep your bow up with a bow rider . Boating with rollers and following sea conditions take some getting use to, timing with your throttle and experience will keep you dry.

5)other than a bunch of bad sensors in my first full year. i love my 337SSX and wouldn't change a thing.

you should have at least a good hand held radio and there are some good apps you can download for weather .

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I would like a $ 5,000 bill for every pump that dies without any warning. Or dies running down the battery to a no crank fast enough. All my boats have at least 2 pumps of different capacities. The stock one. And a about 3000 GPM wired only in the engine bay. With a circuit breaker & switch as the " We are going to sink pump. "

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It’s funny you mentioned the engine lid because with the new hatch design and hatch seal Chaparral is using they almost are water tight.

Do you mean the almost water tight engine compartment is going to become boat's flotation device in case of a hull breach, or you are just missing the Iggy's point altogether?

The two pumps are better than one by any measure, and the add-on pump should have a double capacity of whatever Chap is installing in their boats. The factory installed pumps were (and still are, would be my guess) severely undersized for the sizes of the hulls they were installed in.

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extra insurance, security, etc. can never be argued about - neither are needed until they are!! - if you feel better knowing that you have a backup than go with your gut feeling. the rest of this group will "what if" this thread to death with options, add'l batteries, dedicated lines and on and on - i am no exception. if you are wanting a true backup if the main fails you can tie the backup into the existing line but simply raise the float on the backup so it will not work unless the primary fails - a low / high setup. if you are worried that you will have a major breech of the hull and you want a dual pump - run a dedicated line - more security / insurance = more time and more $$ - your boat / your call

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Just curious if anyone knows of a manufacture making boats under 30’ that a second bilge pump is standard equipment.

If you seen one on a option list I would like to know that as well .

Please let me know what make & model as if they are using that as a competitive advantage i’ll be happy to bring it to Chaparral’s attention.

Here you are ... my 2007 Sig 270 has two bilge pumps as a standard equipment, because it is a STANDARD, and not just a common sense.

The problem on my boat is that the two factory installed pumps' combined capacity comes to circa 2/3rds of the minimum of what this hull size requires.

BTW, the discussion was not focused on scolding Chap's minimalistic and/or cheap approch to boat rigging, nor on providing them with customer feedback. The intent was to convey the best practices for safe boating to a fellow boater without regard to what Chap and its direct competition deems to be necessary minimum equipment rigged on the boats they make.